Forbes announced it's fifth 30 under 30 Asia list. Fourteen Malaysians were recognised under several categories, with hijabi wrestler Nor 'Phoenix' Diana receiving special mention and gracing the cover of the magazine with several others.

At only 20, Nor Diana, who goes by the stage name 'Pheonix', is already making a name for herself in the wrestling scene. People first began noticing her when she became the first female winner in July 2019 of the Malaysia Pro Wrestling (MyPW) Wrestlecon championship.

Her win, and the rare sight of a hijab-wearing woman in the ring, has gained her attention at international level.

She was named under the Entertainment and Sports category.

Other Malaysians in the list

Others in the list includes co-founders of Dropee, Lennise Ng and Aizat Raim.

The duo came up with the online marketplace that connects retailers and wholesalers, and provide a platform that allows both sides to streamline orders and payment.

They were listed under the retail and e-commerce category.


Co-founder and CTO of MyPay, Joshua Smith, was listed under the Finance and Venture Capital category for the app that allows people to make payment to government agencies online.


Founders of RAGE Coffee - a new line of coffee shop that uses technology to enhance it's services - Jevin Singh and Mohamed Afzal also made it to the list under the retail and e-commerce category.


Next in the list is Wan Hasifi Amin Wan Zaidon, co-founder of Muslim matchmaking website Baituljannah. The website that connect single Muslims serves customers from Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei with plans to launch an app version of the services soon.


Jason Ooi, founder of Agrain, a food and beverage business that serves warm, customisable grain bowls made the list, interestingly, under the arts category. The category includes art and styles, as well as food and drinks.


Chang Yi Hern, founder of JomRun, the largest portal for sports event ticketing in the country, was listed under the Consumer Technology category.

He started the business in 2017, and has now expanded it regionally to countries like Cambodia, Indonesia and more.


Co-founder of fintech company Curlec, Zac Liew, also made it to the list under the Finance and Venture Capital category.

Curlec is a platform that helps SMEs collect recurring payments with its automated platform, replacing manual methods like cash, checks or credit cards.


Investment director at Kairous Capital, Adrian Hia is another person listed under the Finance and Venture Capital category for his investments in China and Southeast Asia with about USD50 million (RM210 million) in assets under management.

One of his many investments is in the JomParking app, which is now available in several countries.


Another Malaysian athlete that was named in 30 under 30 list is Short Track Speed Skater Anja Chong. Besides being a national athlete, Chong also is also the founder of 'Skate to Dream' programme that train and fund intellectually disabled athletes to compete at the Special Olympics.

She is also the head of business development at a trust company, Portcullis Trust Singapore and is the founder of an ecommerce lifestyle company Alo Potentia. Chong is listed under the entertainment and sports category.


Co-founder and CEO of RunCloud Arif Tukiman is listed under the enterprice technology category. RunCloud is a centralised control panel that helps deploy, configure, manage and monitor cloud servers.

His company provide services in more than 100 countries.


Ashiwin Vadiveloo, a postdoctoral research fellow at Murdoch University, Australia is listed under the healthcare and science category for his research into microalgae and how the unicellular species can be used for treatment of wastewater and sustainable production of bioenergy.


Forbes annual 30 under 30 Asia list features young entrepreneurs, leaders and changemakers across Asia who are challenging conventional wisdom and rewriting the rules for the next generation.

According to a Forbes press release, the list of people were chosen from 3,500 nominees researched by its journalists from across the region and vetted by industry veterans.

You can find more details and the full list here.